John Rocker, patriot

Racist asshole John Rocker, “author” of a new “book”, is the latest graduate of the Sarah Palin Conservative School of Victimhood. Like the former governor, Rocker claims he was ambushed by a member of the liberal media who had the audacity to share his idiocy with the world. As if SI reporter Jeff Pearlman tricked him into being a racist, sexist homophobe.

The politically incorrect statements Rocker said in the interview resulted in a media firestorm. Rocker was suspended by Commissioner Bud Selig, given the highest fine ever in Major League Baseball history, and assigned to mandatory “sensitivity” training.

The worst aspect of this public hanging by the respectable media was his tarnished reputation. Rocker referred to the entire affair as equivalent to “dying” in his new book “Rocker: Scars and Strikes.”

Rocker was the first victim of many shots in the politically correct war waged against patriotic Americans.

I think WorldNetDaily has once again mistaken racism for political incorrectness. A quick review of Rocker’s “patriotic” worldview :

On ever playing for a New York team: “I would retire first. It’s the most hectic, nerve-racking city. Imagine having to take the [Number] 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you’re [riding through] Beirut next to some kid with purple hair next to some queer with AIDS right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time right next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. It’s depressing.”

On New York City itself: “The biggest thing I don’t like about New York are the foreigners. I’m not a very big fan of foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get in this country?”

Sounds like your average tea partier. Maybe that’s why the fringe right is so sympathetic.

When WND caught up with Rocker he was heading down to Destin, Fla., to deal with a problem at a 254-unit apartment complex he developed and owns. While stuck in traffic, Rocker illustrated he was still the quick-witted and opinionated individual Pearlman goaded into saying controversial things in the 1999 interview with Sports Illustrated.

So in the view of WND — one no doubt shared by the Hannity, Limbaugh, et al — this qualifies as “quick-witted”:

A MINIVAN is rolling slowly down Atlanta’s Route 400, and John Rocker, driving directly behind it in his blue Chevy Tahoe, is pissed. “Stupid bitch! Learn to f—ing drive!” he yells. Rocker honks his horn. Once. Twice. He swerves a lane to the left. There is a toll booth with a tariff of 50 cents. Rocker tosses in two quarters. The gate doesn’t rise. He tosses in another quarter. The gate still doesn’t rise. From behind, a horn blasts. “F— you!” Rocker yells, flashing his left middle finger out the window. Finally, after Rocker has thrown in two dimes and a nickel, the gate rises. Rocker brings up a thick wad of phlegm. Puuuh! He spits at the machine. “Hate this damn toll.”

Paraphrasing Marge Simpson, he’s a regular Billy Crystal.

I’d be willing to give Rocker, who also called black teammate Randall Simon a “fat monkey,” a pass if he had ever shown an ounce of regret. Instead, it seems he’s even a bigger asshole today than he was 13 years ago.

“I’ve taken a lot of crap from a lot of people. Probably more than anybody in the history of the sport. … I know Hank [Aaron] and Jackie [Robinson] took a good deal of crap, but I guarantee it wasn’t for six years. I just keep thinking: How much am I supposed to take?”

A racist comparing himself to Aaron and Robinson — assholes don’t come any more obnoxious.

WND claims in their puff piece that Rocker was drummed out of the game because of his controversial views, neglecting to mention that he posted ERA’s of 5.45 and (appropriately) 6.66 in his last two seasons in the majors. For those who don’t follow baseball, a 4.00 ERA is considered mediocre.